Last updated at 10:54, Wednesday, 03 October 2012

HOSPITAL services have been given the all clear for the second time in as many months.

The latest report from health regulator, the Care Quality Commission, reveals that all essential standards of quality and safety are being met in Furness General’s emergency care services.

Published today, it comes following unannounced inspections carried out by the NHS watchdog at FGH on August 14 and at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary the day before.

August’s investigations were carried out to check whether concerns raised in a previous CQC report, published in July, had been acted on.

The July report, based on findings from an unannounced visit between January and March, had found problems in several areas of emergency care at both hospitals.

At FGH, the three areas of concern were the care and welfare of people who use services, staffing and supporting workers. In March, these concerns led to the trust being issued with two warning notices over its monitoring of patients and mixed sex accommodation. The latest report confirms actions taken to address all the problems have been successful.

Sir David Henshaw is interim chairman of the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, which runs both hospitals.

He said: “Patients have been let down in the past with unacceptable levels of care and this cannot happen again.

“We are very pleased to have received this report two weeks after the CQC said that our maternity services were also meeting all the essential standards they inspected.

“This helps to demonstrate that the trust as a whole is turning the corner in terms of recovery, not just individual departments. However, we do acknowledge there is still a long way to go.

“We will continue to press on to ensure the public get the hospital services they rightly demand and deserve.”

UHMBT chief executive, Jackie Daniel, added: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank the public for their support and also to our staff for their continued dedication and commitment.

“It was essential that we took immediate action earlier in the year to ensure services were safe, and putting clinicians in charge of our services was a key part of this.

“As the trust moves forward, our doctors, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals are now able to make decisions based around the patient to ensure services remain safe, of a high standard and sustainable.”

First published at 10:52, Wednesday, 03 October 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk